Culver Softball Wins League Home Opener

The Culver City High softball team won its Ocean League home opener in convincing fashion, 15-0, over Inglewood High on Thursday, April 11.

The victory followed a league loss on the road against a strong Hawthorne team two days earlier, 9-3.

Centaur Coach John Sargent acknowledged his young team’s positive response, “I’m very proud of the girls whether they’re up or down. They come back on Wednesday and they have a great practice. They relax and that’s what we’re trying to do, that one element of what we can do to just stay calm during a game situation.

“And today it showed. They relaxed and looked confident playing against Inglewood.”

Jessica Faber was effective as the Centaur starting pitcher due in part to her relationship with her catcher and cousin Lisa Kamba.

Faber remarked, “Usually my pitching coach Duane will call my pitches but he wasn’t here at the start of the game. Lisa’s been with me the last two years so she pretty much knew what she was doing. I think she called a great game.”

The Centaurs overwhelmed the Sentinels in four innings with an unrelenting offense, scoring four runs in the first inning, five in the second, one in the third and capping it off with five more in their last at bat.

Coach Sargent effused, “Lisa, my junior catcher, she goes 3 for 3 and had two home runs. She had four rbi’s. My junior pitcher, Jessica, she pitched a three hitter and that was good.”

The Culver defense was also instrumental in the win as Faber noted, “Our infield wasn’t routine but they came in and did a very good job. Lisa Serna was playing shortstop. She’s actually our right fielder. She practiced at short yesterday and she was playing really good. She came out and showed what she can do.”

Faber added, “We’re a fairly young team. It’s kind of crazy this year. Being a pitcher, going and giving high fives and seeing freshman, sophomore, freshman, freshman, but they’ve proved themselves. We all fight for our positions out here. They did what they came out to do and they got the positions.”

Sargent concluded about his team, “I’m so proud of their record. Your next game can be just as bad as that game that you lost. But this team, they had good spirit. And that’s what makes us go. We can do this.”